Web browsers enable users to acquire files over the internet. A server that stores files can provide web pages over the internet. When a web page is displayed at a client device by a web browser, text or an icon may serve as a link that both represents and makes available a particular file. When a user selects the link, a download manager contacts the server and acquires a copy of the particular file from the server for the user of the client device. This approach to downloading a file can, unfortunately, be exceptionally slow. Additionally, this approach to downloading files can be equally slow in other, non-browser-related file acquisition scenarios.